Editing Frederick County, Virginia (section)

== History ==
The area that would become Frederick County, Virginia, was inhabited and transited by various [[indigenous peoples]] for thousands of years before European [[colonization]].

Colonization efforts began with the [[Virginia Company of London]], but European settlement did not flourish until after the company lost its charter and Virginia became a royal colony in 1624. In order to stimulate migration to the colony, the [[headright]] system was used. Under this system, those who funded an emigrant's transportation costs (not the actual colonizers) were compensated with land.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dividing the Land: Early American Beginnings of Our Private Property Mosaic|last=Price|first=Edward T.|publisher=University of Chicago Press |year= 1995|isbn=9780226680651|location=Chicago|pages=[https://archive.org/details/dividinglandearl0000pric/page/91 91, 105–107]|url= https://archive.org/details/dividinglandearl0000pric/page/91}}</ref> In 1649 the exiled [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] granted [[Northern Neck Proprietary|several acres of colonial Virginia lands]] to "seven loyal supporters", including [[Thomas Fairfax|Lord Fairfax]]. The Fairfax lands passed to [[Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron]] (1657-1710), who married the daughter of [[Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper|Thomas Colepeper]], who also owned several acres of land. After their son, [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron|Lord Thomas Fairfax]], inherited the combined grants, he controlled over 5,000,000 acres of land in Virginia, including much of the land that became Frederick County.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.lva.virginia.gov/|title= About the Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants/Northern Neck Grant and Surveys|website=Library of Virginia |access-date=October 25, 2018}}</ref>

Frederick County was created from [[Orange County, Virginia|Orange County]] in 1738, and was officially organized in 1743.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mapofus.org|title=Maps of Virginia|website=Maps of US|access-date=October 25, 2018}}</ref> The Virginia Assembly named the new county for [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick Louis]], [[Prince of Wales]]<ref>{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ|title= The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |author= Gannett, Henry|publisher=Govt. Print. Off.|year=1905|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n120 131]}}</ref> (1707–1751), the eldest son of King [[George II of Great Britain]]. At that time, "Old Frederick County" encompassed all or part of four counties in present-day Virginia and five in present-day [[West Virginia]]:
* [[Hampshire County, West Virginia|Hampshire]] (West Virginia), created 1754
* [[Dunmore County|Dunmore]], created 1772 and renamed [[Shenandoah County, Virginia|Shenandoah]] in 1778
* [[Berkeley County, West Virginia|Berkeley]] (West Virginia), created 1772
* [[Hardy County, West Virginia|Hardy]] (West Virginia), created 1786
* [[Jefferson County, West Virginia|Jefferson]] (West Virginia), created 1801
* [[Morgan County, West Virginia|Morgan]] (West Virginia), created 1820
* [[Page County, Virginia|Page]], created 1831
* [[Clarke County, Virginia|Clarke]], created 1836
* [[Warren County, Virginia|Warren]], created 1836<ref name=":0" />

=== Colonial era ===
As [[commanding officer]] of the new Colonial Virginia regiment in 1754, [[Colonel]] [[George Washington]] located his headquarters in Winchester before and during the [[George Washington in the French and Indian War|French and Indian War]]. He resigned from military service in 1758. He represented Frederick County in his first elective office, having been elected to the [[House of Burgesses]] in 1758 and 1761.

Seventeen years later, on June 15, 1775, the Continental Congress "elected" George Washington as [[commander-in-chief]] of the yet-to-be-created [[Continental Army]]. He accepted the appointment the next day.<ref name="loc">{{cite web|url= http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/amrev/contarmy/accepts.html |title=Creating a Continental Army|work=The American Revolution 1763-1783|publisher=Library of Congress |date=n.d.|access-date=August 26, 2020}}</ref> This preceded the Congress's declaration of independence and the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

=== War of 1812 ===

=== American Civil War ===
Winchester was a site of volatile conditions during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] of 1861–1865, with control shifting between the [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] and [[Union Army|Union]] armies on average once every three weeks during the war. Many battles were fought in Frederick County. Some of those battles included:
* [[Battle of Kernstown I|First Battle of Kernstown]], March 1862
* [[First Battle of Winchester]], May 1862
* [[Battle of Winchester II|Second Battle of Winchester]], June 1863
* [[Battle of Kernstown II|Second Battle of Kernstown]], July 1864
* [[Battle of Opequon|Third Battle of Winchester (Battle of Opequon)]], September 1864
* [[Battle of Cedar Creek]], October 1864

The first constitution of [[West Virginia]] provided for Frederick County to be added to the new state if approved by a local election.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wvculture.org/HISTORY/statehood/constitution.html|title=West Virginia Constitution|website=www.wvculture.org|access-date=February 12, 2009|archive-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119011204/http://www.wvculture.org/History/statehood/constitution.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Unlike neighboring Berkeley and Jefferson counties, Frederick County remained in Virginia; as it was occupied by the Confederate army, no vote was permitted to ascertain the residents' wishes.<ref>Virginia v. West Virginia, 78 U.S. 39, 42.</ref>